Here it is,

Four something in the afternoon again,

As always,

Or so it seems

These past few warm, sunny, May days

Across America ‑‑

Arkansas/Amarillo/Albuquerque ‑‑

Blue skies with puffy white clouds are the rule,

Interstate 40 style,

Where it seems eternally afternoon

For endless cruising

Where the P.M.'s stretch

By crossing time zone boundaries,

And where due to doing 80

Time dilation elongates

The munching of a palm of peanuts

To over a mile of highway travelled  

The crystal glints,

A prism of pure colors,

While super music plays

Loudly and clearly on the

Firebird six‑speaker sound system  

So often, upon cresting a rise

Or rounding a bend,

A new vista comes into view  

Oh well, it's time to pull in

To the Howard Johnson's

I was hoping would exist

For some chowder, clams

And a night's rest ‑‑

Tomorrow it's time for the Grand Canyon  

Flash back:

Monday ‑‑

Start late afternoon in drizzle,

Third day of thick overcast ‑‑

By Port Jervis light on horizon,

By Wilkes‑Barre into sun of blue skeye

For extended daylight  

Tuesday ‑‑

Sunny all day

Down the Appalachian backbone to Tennessee  

Wednesday ‑‑

Fog, sun, clouds, rain

Ending with sun in Oklahoma  

Flash forward:

Friday ‑‑

All the way to Arizona without a ticket

With the newly enacted 65 speed limit,

The Firebird becoming a mile‑eater,

Then wham!

Ambushed by a Native American in his metal Highway Patrol steed ‑‑

On the way to the Canyon --

"The Gap" immediately followed by

"The Great Divide" on the car tape ‑‑

The Canyon was indeed Grand  

Saturday ‑‑

The home stretch

Complete with roadside entertainment ‑‑

An Indian corn train a mile away,

Lightning clouds hovering over one hill ‑‑

Peaks peeking and poking up

From beneath the horizon,

Picking and perking me up

On this towards‑the‑end

Porking boring drive ‑‑

After the HoJo oasis in Barstow

One final detour through the Angeles National Forest,

Up and through ten‑thousand foot mountains,

Seeing what looked like fallen rocks

In fallen rock zones,

That were on close inspection fallen pine cones

(The signs should have said "fallen cone zone") ‑‑

Finally arriving at my new home in Redondo Beach